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Sessione 3
You are here:Home / Mission / Projects / solidarity INDIA 2010
Mar 02, 2009

solidarity INDIA 2010

After Thailand in 2008 and Ivory Coast in 2009, this year will celebrate the last shoot of the beautiful branch of Betharram: India.

solidarity INDIA 2010

For the record: in 1987, the General Chapter decided to base in India, following contacts of Fr Gaston Hialé with the Servants of Mary and the Sisters of the Apostolic Carmel in Mangalore (spiritual heirs of Sr. Mary of Jesus Crucified). A diocesan priest, Father Manavalam Paul, began to accompany young people wishing to enter Betharram: our first core in India.
Thus took shape this great adventure; after 20 years, it met the paschal mystery with the tragic death in a road accident of Fr Xavier Pontokkhann, first Indian Betharramite religious priest. Since the sky where he met with St. Michael Garicoits and the Blessed Mariam, Fr Xavier now watches over the growth of the beautiful branch - Shobhana Shaakha in Sanskrit, the name of our residence in Bangalore.
Betharram Indian priests today are 6 and 30 trainees, divided into two houses of formation in the dioceses of Bangalore and Mangalore, and a missionary outpost in Assam. The Vicariate of India, led by Father Biju Paul Alappat, is part of the Region Blessed Mariam. Throughout the month, we return to reality and projects of this promising foundation.

Bruno Ierullo,SCJ
general councilor in charge of missionary animation

SOLIDARITY PROJECT INDIA 2010

Bangalore or Mangalore...? Strangers have  to repeat these two names over and over again so as not to get them mixed up! Long enough to conjure up an image or to recall a memory!  Bangalore, yes! Bangalore, situated inland, great technology centre, renowned world wide for its precious IT workforce. Mangalore? Of course, the lovely house belonging to the Apostolic Carmelite Sisters with its garden by the Indian Ocean.

But for us Betharramites the two houses are simply the hostels where 32 young men, aged between 18 and 30 years, are progressing slowly in the footsteps of Jesus under the guidance of a young Basque that they are getting to know. Betharramite spirituality transplanted to India has well and truly taken root thanks to the silent work of the religious who look after the youngsters – from far and near – and thanks to the many benefactors who through their generosity, make it possible for us to assure a human and intellectual formation worthy of the name. Incidentally, let’s greet our Betharram friends in England!

At a time when the Vicariate  of India is preparing its mission field ad gentes, formation is still its primary concern. In the course of such a huge programme the young learn, together with their elders, to face the problems of everyday life. Before the Summer there was a problem about replacing the jeep of Maria Kripa (Mangalore) at the cost of €10 000, the jeep in question had packed it in after more than 200 000 km. At the same time in Bangalore they were trying to solve the problem of transporting the novices to the inter-novitiate sessions by acquiring a transporter at the cost of about €10 000. Low and behold the well in Bangalore ran out.

This was an awful blow. It will mean making use of the town’s facilities and this will be expensive. Unless it were possible to open another source? That would require 250 000 rupees (that is about €4 000). The daily life in the mission consists in managing the unforeseen and the worries of any household. It is to be hoped that a little helping hand will enable our two communities to cope with the most pressing need!

 

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For your donations:
Sacred Heart Mission Centre, St Joseph’s Murcott Road,
Whitnash, leamington Spa. CV31 2JJ.
> Indicate: Solidarity Project India 2010 <

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